Machine for size-grading walnuts

ABSTRACT

A machine, for size-grading walnuts (i.e. separating one size from another), comprising a plurality of rotary sizing reels or grate-bar-type trommels arranged on a supporting frame in a manner such that-selectively-any one of the trommels can be brought to a working position between a feed chute and carry-off conveyors mounted on such frame; the individual trommels, each relative to the others, having different spacing between the grate-bars whereby the machine can be set to size-grade walnuts which have different average sizes depending on the variety being processed.

United States Patent Inventor l-lugh Perry Barton Modesto, Calif.

July 3, 1969 May I l, 1971 R. P. Barton 8: Company Escalon, Calif.

Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee MACHINE FOR SIZE-GRADING WALNU'IS 9 Clairm, 4 Drawing Fig.

Int. Cl.. B07c 5/06 Field otSearch 209/253, 86, 94, 95, 99, 98

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 709,646 9/1902 Pillmore etal 209/253 1,895,34l 1/1933 Parsonage 209/253 Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Attorney-Webster & Webster ABSTRACT: A machine, for size-grading walnuts (i.e. separating one size from another), comprising a plurality of rotary sizing reels or grate-bar-type trommels arranged on a supporting frame in a manner such that-.selectively-any one of the trommels can be brought to a working position between a feed chute and carry-off conveyors mounted on such frame; the individual trommels, each relative to the others, having different spacing between the grate-bars whereby the machine can beset to size-grade walnuts which have different average sizes depending on the variety being processed.

] Patentedi M511, 1971- 3,578,161"

3 Sheets-Sheet l "5- @WWW Patentecl Ma 1y 11, 1971 3,578,161

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 MACHINE FOR SIZE-GRADING WALNUTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION the machine in order to accomplish a changeover from one such mechanism to another. Neither of these alternatives lends itself to practical and economical walnut size-grading operations where several different varieties are being processed in succession. It is in the light of this problem that the present invention was conceived.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides, as a major object, a novel machine-for size-grading walnuts-which includes a plurality of inclined, grate-bar-type, rotary trommels assembled in unitary relation on a supporting frame for simultaneous movement and in a manner to quick-dispose, selectively, any one of such trommels in a working position between a feed chute which delivers the walnuts to such trommel, and receiving means in the form of carry-off conveyors onto which the sizegraded walnuts discharge; the individual trommels, each relative to the others, having different spacing between the gratebars whereby the machine can be readily, and without interchange of parts, set-by disposing a selected trommel in working positionto size-grade walnuts which, because of their varietal nature, have a different average size than the walnuts of other varieties.

The present invention provides, as another object, a machine for size-grading walnuts, as above, wherein the trommels-of which there are three-are included in a unitary rotary assembly whose rotation is manually controlled whereby a selected individual trommel can be indexed to working position; and in which position such trommel is then releasably secured.

The present invention provides, as still another object, a novel drive unit for each of the rotary trommels of the machine; such drive units being mounted for movement with the unitary rotary assembly of said trommels, and each such unit remaining in driving connection with the corresponding trommel at all times. This further facilitates adjustment of the machine to dispose a selected trommel in working position.

The present invention provides, as a further object, a machine for size-grading walnuts which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

The present invention provides, as a still further object, a practical, reliable, and durable machine for size-grading walnuts and one which is exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the machine comprises an upstanding main frame indicated generally at I; such main frame including top cross beams 2 and 3 at opposite ends thereof. The main frame 1 is formed with an elongated hopper-type bin indicated generally at 4; the bottom of such bin being formed in the main by a longitudinally extending endless belt conveyor 5 whose upper run travels in a rearward direction. The endless belt conveyor 5, which is suitably mounted in the main frame 1, lies in adjacent end-to-end relation with another endless belt conveyor 6 which also forms part of the bottom of the bin 4 and thence extends forwardly ahead thereof; the upper run of said other conveyor 6 traveling forwardly.

Centrally at the top thereof, the main frame 1 supports a main shaft 7 disposed at a slight forward and downward incline and journaled adjacent its ends, as at 8 and 9, on the cross beams 2 and 3, respectively.

Adjacent its rear end, the main shaft 7 is fitted with a spider 10 having three equally circumferentially spaced spider arms 11. Some distance short of its forward end, the main shaft 7 is fitted with another spider I2 likewise having three equally circumferentially spaced spider arms 13; corresponding spider arms 11 and I3 of the spiders 10 and 12 being aligned longitudinally of the machine.

Each such pair of longitudinally aligned spider arms 11 and 13 supports a rotary, grate-bar type of cylindrical trommel; such trommels being indicated at l4, l5, and 16. Each such trommel includes a central shaft 17 and radius rods 18, with such central shaft 17 jo'umalled-as at 19 and 20on the outer ends of the related spider arms 1 1 and 13, respectively.

As so mounted, the trommels 14, 15, and 16 are supported in triangular array, each slightly inclining forwardly and downwardly toward its forward end. Each of the trommels includes a multiplicity of longitudinally extending, circumferentially spaced grate-bars; the grate-bars 21 of the trommel 14 having predetennined spacing", the grate-bars 22 of the trommel 15 having wider spacing; and the grate-bars 23 of the trommel 16 having still wider spacing; all as shown in FIG. 4. In order to assure of proper feed therethrough, each of the trommels is fitted with an internal spiral rib 24.

The main shaft 7 is manually rotated to dispose a selected one of the trommels in the lowermost position, and which then is the working position of such trommel as will hereinafter ap pear. The main shaft is so rotated by means of circumferentially spaced radial handles 25 on the forward end of said shaft 7 beyond the crossbeam 3. One of such radial'handles is, as shown, longer than the others, and is adapted to engage a frame-mounted stop 26. When such longer handle is engaged with the stop 26 on one side or the other thereof, a first or a second of the trommels is in its lowermost and working position. Of course, such longer handle will not be engaged with the stop 26 when the third trommel is moved to said lowermost and working position. However, this poses no problem for the reason that when any one of the trommels is in its lowermost and working position, the entire Ferris wheellike unitary assembly of the trommels is held against rotative motion; this being accomplished by a frame-mounted index plate 27 having circumferentially spaced holes 28 through which an index pin 29 extends into a suitable holding block on the cross beam 3.

Each of the trommels 14, 15, and 16 is provided with a separate and independent driving device, indicated generally at 30, and as all of such devices are substantially identical, a description of one will here suffice.

The driving device for each trommel comprises a platform 31 fixed on and radiating from the main shaft 7, and said platform supports an electric motor 32 which drives a gear box 33, and the latter, in turn, rotates the central shaft 17 of the related trommel by means of an endless belt and pulley connection 34.

When each trommel is in its lowermost and working position, the electric motor 32 is energized by current fed to it in any suitable fashion (not shown) but which may be a flexible electric cord detachably plug-connected to a receptacle on the main frame I.

In use of the above described machine, the unitary assembly of the trommels 14, 15, and 16 is rotated in the manner previously described until the desired one of said trommels (depending on the average size of the walnuts to be graded) reaches its lowermost and working position; such unitary assembly then being releasably locked against rotation by means of the index pin 29 inserted through one of the holes 28 in the index plate 27 and into the holding block on cross beam 3.

With the selected trommel in working position, and at which time it is well within the confines of the bin 4, such trommel is caused to rotate by energization of the corresponding electric motor 32.

With the working trommel thus rotating, walnuts 35-intermingled as to sizeare fed by a short endless belt conveyor 36 into a vertical chute 37 formed in the rear end of the bin 4; such chute being positioned so that the walnuts gravitating therein are fed into the rear end of said working trommel.

Thereafter, with continued rotation of such working trom- I mel, and upon advance of the walnuts therein, those of smaller size pass between the grate-bars and are received in carry-off relation on the conveyor 5. The nuts of larger size do not pass between the grate-bars of the working trommel but continue therein and discharge from its forward end and are then received in carry-off relation on the conveyor 6. Thus, an effective size-grading of the walnuts is accomplished.

In order to prevent walnuts from descending accidentally between adjacent ends of the conveyors and 6, the gap is encompassed by a bridge 38 which is of inverted generally V- shape transversely, and the apex of which bridge lies very close to the forward end of the trommel which is in lowermost and working position.

By providing trommels having differential spacing between the grate-bars (each trommel relative to the others), and by providing for the quick change of any such trommel, to its lowermost and working position, the present machine is extremely useful in size-grading walnuts which may have different average diameters, and which is true one variety to another. In walnut processing plants, it is common for quantities of walnuts of different varieties to be processed in succession, and here lies the great advantage of the instant machine in that it can be quick-adjusted to process the nuts of any such variety.

The present invention, without modification, can be employed not only to size-grade fully hulled walnuts, but also to separate hulled walnuts from those which may have hulls remaining thereon. Also, the machine is capable of use for size-grading other types of nuts, such as pecans; the term walnuts as used herein, therefore, being deemed to include any such other types of nuts.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a machine for size-grading walnuts as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein,

lclaim:

l. A machine, for size-grading walnuts, comprising a frame, a plurality of individual mechanisms adapted to be power driven with respective ones thereof operative to size-grade walnuts of difi'erent average sizes, walnut feeding means on the frame, size-graded walnut-receiving means on the frame, a structure mounting the size-grading mechanisms for movement as a unit to dispose any selected one of said mechanisms in working position between the feeding means and the receiving means, and power means arranged to drive each aligried lengthwise of the shaft, and each trommel spanning be een the related aligned spider arms and including a central shaft joumaled thereon.

3. A machine, as in claim 2, in which the power means to drive each trommel comprises a platform fixed on and radiating from the central shaft beyond one end of said trommel, an electric motor on the platform, and a driving connection between the electric motor and the central shaft of said trommel. I

4. A machine, as in claim 2, including manually controlled means to rotate the main shaft so as to dispose any selected trommel in working position, and means to releasably secure the main shaft against rotation whereby to maintain such selected trommel in said working position.

5. A machine, for size-grading walnuts, comprising a plurality of grate-bar type, rotary trommels, the spacing of the grate bars of each trommel being different than those of any other trommel, a frame and a frame-mounted rotary main shaft supporting the trommels lengthwise of and in circumferentially spaced but unitary relation radially out from said main shaft, means to rotate the main shaft so as to dispose any selected trommel in a predetermined working position, power means arranged to drive any one of the trommels in working position, walnut-feeding means operative to deliver walnuts into the trommel in working position, and receiving means adapted to receive size-graded walnuts from the trommel in working position.

6. A machine, as in claim 5, including a longitudinal, hopper-type bin formed with the frame, the unitary assembly of the trommels being disposed so that the trommel in working position extends lengthwise of the bottom of the bin, and the bottom of the bin being comprised of adjacent pans of end-toend endless conveyors; one conveyor being disposed to receive the walnuts which pass between the grate-bars of the trommel in working position, and the other conveyor being disposed to receive the walnuts from the discharge end of said trommel.

7. A machine, as in claim 6, including a bridge spanning between and overlying the adjacent ends of the conveyors; the bridge being immediately adjacent the discharge end of the trommel in working position, and said bridge being generally of inverted V-form transversely thereof.

8. A machine, as in claim 5, in which the power means, for driving each trommel, comprises a platform fixed on the rotary main shaft, a motor on the platform, and a driving connection between the motor and said trommel. 4

9. A machine, as in claim 5, in which the walnut-feeding means includes a frame-mounted chute which registers with one end of the trommel in working position; and the sizegraded walnut-receiving means includes a conveyor positioned to receive walnuts which pass between the grate-bars of said trommel in working position, and another conveyor positioned to receive walnuts which discharge from the other end of said trommel. 

1. A machine, for size-grading walnuts, comprising a frame, a plurality of individual mechanisms adapted to be power driven with respective ones thereof operative to size-grade walnuts of different average sizes, walnut feeding means on the frame, sizegraded walnut-receiving means oN the frame, a structure mounting the size-grading mechanisms for movement as a unit to dispose any selected one of said mechanisms in working position between the feeding means and the receiving means, and power means arranged to drive each mechanism in its working position; said mechanisms each comprising a grate-bar-type rotary trommel, and the spacing of the grate bars of each trommel being different than those of any other trommel.
 2. A machine, as in claim 1, in which the mounting structure for the trommels comprises a main shaft journaled on the frame, longitudinally spaced spiders fixed on and radiating from the main shaft, the arms of the spiders corresponding in number to the trommels, like arms of said spiders being aligned lengthwise of the shaft, and each trommel spanning between the related aligned spider arms and including a central shaft journaled thereon.
 3. A machine, as in claim 2, in which the power means to drive each trommel comprises a platform fixed on and radiating from the central shaft beyond one end of said trommel, an electric motor on the platform, and a driving connection between the electric motor and the central shaft of said trommel.
 4. A machine, as in claim 2, including manually controlled means to rotate the main shaft so as to dispose any selected trommel in working position, and means to releasably secure the main shaft against rotation whereby to maintain such selected trommel in said working position.
 5. A machine, for size-grading walnuts, comprising a plurality of grate-bar type, rotary trommels, the spacing of the grate bars of each trommel being different than those of any other trommel, a frame and a frame-mounted rotary main shaft supporting the trommels lengthwise of and in circumferentially spaced but unitary relation radially out from said main shaft, means to rotate the main shaft so as to dispose any selected trommel in a predetermined working position, power means arranged to drive any one of the trommels in working position, walnut-feeding means operative to deliver walnuts into the trommel in working position, and receiving means adapted to receive size-graded walnuts from the trommel in working position.
 6. A machine, as in claim 5, including a longitudinal, hopper-type bin formed with the frame, the unitary assembly of the trommels being disposed so that the trommel in working position extends lengthwise of the bottom of the bin, and the bottom of the bin being comprised of adjacent parts of end-to-end endless conveyors; one conveyor being disposed to receive the walnuts which pass between the grate-bars of the trommel in working position, and the other conveyor being disposed to receive the walnuts from the discharge end of said trommel.
 7. A machine, as in claim 6, including a bridge spanning between and overlying the adjacent ends of the conveyors; the bridge being immediately adjacent the discharge end of the trommel in working position, and said bridge being generally of inverted V-form transversely thereof.
 8. A machine, as in claim 5, in which the power means, for driving each trommel, comprises a platform fixed on the rotary main shaft, a motor on the platform, and a driving connection between the motor and said trommel.
 9. A machine, as in claim 5, in which the walnut-feeding means includes a frame-mounted chute which registers with one end of the trommel in working position; and the size-graded walnut-receiving means includes a conveyor positioned to receive walnuts which pass between the grate-bars of said trommel in working position, and another conveyor positioned to receive walnuts which discharge from the other end of said trommel. 